Infant Feeding Day: CelebRATE Mums Not Methods
Here at #TeamFeed, we love a good news story – so this Infant Feeding Day 2026 we are giving snaps for #MumsNotMethods, recognising the women who are informed, intentional and quietly doing things their own way.
This week, the UK Government released their long awaiting findings from their Infant Feeding Survey, England. It has been 10 years since their last round - so we were looking forward to seeing what has changed in a decade! They give us good reason to feel optimistic. The proportion of women breastfeeding their babies at six months has jumped from 26% in 2005 to a whopping 58% in 2024. That’s a remarkable shift within a generation.
On the face of it, this is a success story for mums. If we assume (hopefully without making an ass out of me and u) that most mothers who want to breastfeed are now more able to meet their goals, these figures suggest real progress. They suggest more support, better information, stronger peer networks and more enabling environments.
But as ever, the story beneath the headline is more complex and more interesting, so before we start braying like an ass, let us dig a little deeper.
We know that breastfeeding rates have historically been higher among certain groups; older mothers and among some ethnic minorities. The UK population distribution has changed over time, with increasing ethnic diversity and women starting their families later. We also know that in recent years funding for third sector organisation that support women in infant feeding has fallen and there has been an increase in the numbers of private IBCLC’s – available for those who can afford to buy in. These are aspects of the data that need surfacing in order for an honest look at what lies behind the rates if we want to continue improving.
Our Set Up to Fail report showed that many women still face significant barriers in feeding the way they want to, whether that’s inconsistent professional advice, lack of culturally appropriate support, returning to work, or simply not having a community around them that makes feeding part of normal life. “Progress” feels limited when we pigeonhole success into one metric; whether or not an infant was breastfed. This metric of success can and does coexist with persistent gaps. We believe those gaps matter.
Which brings us back to the theme: CelebRATE Mums, Not Methods.
Because here’s the thing: feeding a baby is not a binary outcome. It’s not a tick box at two weeks—“breast” or “formula”, as if that captures anything meaningful about a woman’s experience. It doesn’t tell you about the mum who breastfeeds for weeks before mixed feeding gave her the breathing space she needed. Or the mum who exclusively expressed day and night. Or the mum who shared feeding her baby with other family members. Or the mum who endured mastitis, tongue-tie, cluster feeding, or cracked confidence. It tells us nothing about the mum.
The data can tell us about trends about milk. It cannot tell us stories.
So yes, let’s celebrate the rising rates. They likely reflect that more women are getting closer to the feeding journeys they hoped for and that matters.
But let’s also take a step back and ask better questions . A lot has changed in the last 15 years.
What has helped? Is it better antenatal education? Peer support? Continuity of care? More honest conversations about what feeding is really like? Or is this women finding their own ways, with their own resources, their own online communities, to tread their own paths?
What still needs to change? How do we close inequity gaps? How do we ensure that every woman has access to skilled, compassionate support that she deserves? How do we design services that respect autonomy and flexibility rather than prescribe a single “right” way?
Because ultimately, the goal shouldn’t be higher rates. The goal is informed, supported and empowered women in one of the most intense transitions of their lives.
So this Infant Feeding Day, however you feed your baby, we RATE you, you are the outcome that matters.
Love #TeamFeed
